Many Catholics and other Christians instinctively know that programs designed to skew the lines between the two sexes are fundamentally unhealthy for society and for the individuals involved, but few have clarity or confidence in how to respond.

Yes, this is harmful to kids and families. Yes, it undermines the development of chastity and other virtues. And yes, it offers confusion and a counterfeit response to the fundamental question, “Who Am I?” that Pope St. John Paul II so eloquently explored in his “Theology of the Body” series of talks early in his pontificate.

So this letter attempts to offer a way to respond to those organizing such events as an appeal to do what is right and decent and out of genuine empathy for those who participate. Everyone deserves to be treated with love, dignity and respect, and these shows are anathema to such treatment.

 

Greetings,

I recently discovered that your organization has begun sponsoring “drag queen” events. When concern was raised about this, responses with references to “hate” and closed-mindedness on the part of anyone opposed to such programs were offered.

Permit me to offer a perspective on “hate” you may have not considered. The issue of transgenderism and gender dysphoria is worth exploring here. Despite the politically motivated, science-denying leadership of the American Psychological Association (APA) and society’s inability to avoid jumping on the bandwagon of misguided social justice du jour, men rejecting their biology and offering this as titillating entertainment for the masses is not indicative of healthy expression. In fact, it is often a cry for help and attention coupled with a basic misunderstanding of the psychiatric mental disorder(s) that may be underlying such a plea.

Though the causes and factors contributing to gender dysphoria are numerous (and are still not fully understood), it often stems from body dysmorphia. Before gender dysphoria, the most recent and most common form of this manifested itself as anorexia — usually in young women. The obvious and proper treatment for this was through competent counseling that started with helping the person understand their self-view was inherently incorrect. To tell a person suffering from anorexia that she was, in fact, fat and in need of dieting is a perfect analogy for what many therapists and members of society are doing today with these poor souls suffering from gender dysphoria. It is affirmation of a lie that explicitly rejects genuinely helpful guidance to work through such a condition. 

I would hope you’d agree that this approach is not only unkind and inaccurate — it is cruel. In fact, this practice of going a step further than denial of the underlying psychiatric condition and actually parading these folks in front of the public is reminiscent of the “freak” shows used by circus organizers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Would you find it appropriate to sell tickets to see people with bulimia act out their condition in front of laughing spectators? What about those with schizophrenia? Non-suicidal self-injury disorder (NSSID)? Borderline personality disorder (BPD)? Autism? (Those with the latter two conditions have an exponentially higher frequency of exhibiting traits of gender dysphoria, by the way. Do you think that’s worth exploring as to why?)

So I ask you: Do people who have a genuine concern for those suffering from gender dysphoria — or just a general dissatisfaction with their bodies and who they are — strike you as being “hateful?” Genuine openness and compassion for one’s fellow man demands a desire for the truth and sharing that truth. Anything short of that — objectively speaking — displays indifference and is unloving. One might even say such reckless apathy for the good of others is “hateful.”

I, and many others in this area, await your response and will be praying that you recognize the dignity and respect deserving of every human being.

Respectfully,